USA Gets a New Female BJJ Black Belt

Women’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the United States takes another important step forward. On Saturday Ricardo “Franjinha” Miller awarded his first-ever female black belt to Katie Weilbacher.

At the age of twenty-four, Weilbacher is likely the youngest American female to be promoted to black belt in BJJ. Like fellow Paragon jiu-jitsu prodigies Bill “The Grill” Cooper and Jeff Glover, Weilbacher is a fierce competitor. She has taken home the gold medal at the Mundial at lower belt rankings three times in the gi and once in no-gi.

Congratulations to Weilbacher on her accomplishment. This is a good step forward for women’s BJJ here in the United States. And it should make for an even more exciting Pan-Ams and Mundials in 2010!